Category: Elope

The Willows Lodge in Woodinville is one of my favorite venues for a an elopement or a small and intimate ceremony. Time and time again, couples check into the beautiful property and are married, either inside the Lodge or somewhere in the beautiful garden, surrounding the Lodge.Karl and Bridgette snuggled in for two days and were married in a ceremony for “2” in the garden, in the presence of two witnesses.Just them. Private. Personal. Perfect. Photo: www.jennygg.com

There are precious moments in life that that are just truly wonderful. This past Saturday, I had the happiness of joining Brian and Jamie for their intimate ceremony at Gasworks Park in Seattle, surrounded by their family…and four fur kids!With a permit in hand for a beautiful space on the water at Gasworks, we gathered for a beautiful and intimate exchange of personal vows and the sharing of a sweet lovely story.And after a week of crazy weather, the sunshine and warmth on Saturday afternoon was icing on the cake.
Brian and Jamie – wishing you great happiness on your marriage adventure!

It was happiness for me to share in Bill and Katy’s sweet, intimate and private wedding ceremony at a Seattle park! We found a huge and beautiful tree and with a few logistics to find best lighting, we shared in a romantic and beautiful ceremony, with personalized vows.Joined by their photographer and another witness, we all felt honored to be a part of Bill and Katy’s big day ~ a celebration of their years together and a lifetime moment that held great anticipation for the years ahead!
Photo: www.sarahpotterphotography.com

After almost 2 decades of loving relationship, two of the very best guys “eloped” to Seattle for their wedding ceremony on July 1st. As soon as I received David’s email inquiry, I knew I was going to love working with him and Scott. You’ve got to LOVE two men who take great care and time to coordinate all details of a small/intimate ceremony and evening celebration – done in all of the right ways.
Surrounded by a small group of their best people, David and Scott were married in a beautiful evening ceremony – we had reverence, great joy, laughter and a tear or two. And the next day, they left on a lifetime cruise to Alaska.David and Scott: you are such an inspiration to all of us!

While they could have technically and fully “eloped,” Jamie honored her parents request to be present at their wedding ceremony. So, yesterday, on the 4th of July – a day with great personal meaning ~ Jamie married the love of her life, Justin, in the backyard of her childhood home in Maple Valley.Surrounded by her parents, sister and a couple of close family members, Justin and Jamie exchanged vows and rings.And Justin and Jamie did things right. A beautiful dress. A handsome suit. Pretty flowers.And most of all, a wonderful photographer to capture all of this goodness Simple, easy and perfect.
Photo: www.jennygg.com

It’s summertime in Seattle and a popular city for an elopement…not only for couples who live and love in the Pacific Northwest but for loving couples from all around the country. As we move into July and August, the best months for weather in Seattle, most couples opt to elope outdoors, choosing a park, waterside vista or even a boutique hotel or bed and breakfast.
To elope, you need the following:

Your happy selves!

2 witnesses over the age of 18

A valid Washington State Marriage License

A lovely Officiant

For more information or to talk about possibilities, call Annemarie at 425 922 1325.Photo: Jenny and Andrew on a Washington State Ferry! Photo: www.jennygg.com

I married a sweet couple on Monday morning. A+M wanted their ceremony to be private, with only 2 witnesses.Simple. Easy. Elegant. Just for them. So, we met at Alki Beach and I officiated their ceremony at one of my favorite places on Alki Beach – to the left of Salty’s Restaurant.
This area offers a beautiful dock (with the Seattle skyline in the background), a grassy area or a beach/waterside option. And afterwards, a celebration meal at Salty’s!

The paradox of life.What is big is small.What is small is big.
It was happiness for me to join Lee and Tamara for their intimate ceremony for ‘2″ at The Salish Lodge last weekend. As always, the staff at the Lodge went above and beyond (thank you, Cristy Barnes!) to insure we had a beautiful and private spot inside the Lodge as the weather was a bit windy and rainy to be outside.
With Photographer Jennygg on-site, we enjoyed a private lifetime moment for Lee and Tamara…in fact, Lee was so into it he could not resist kissing his beautiful bride in the middle of the ceremony!Photo: jennygg.com

Cynthia + Nori. Married at their home in Auburn on a crisp April Saturday morning, with Cynthia’s parents as witnesses. When I arrived, Nori was looking handsome in his suit. And Cynthia was absolutely gorgeous in her gown and accessories.We took time to sweetly celebrate their loving relationship and the anticipation they both share for the future. And I loved how Nori had to say a few beautiful words of appreciation to Cynthia just before they sealed their wedding ceremony with a kiss! Again, what is big is really small. What is small is really big.

Ashley and Ismail were married on Saturday morning at the new Terrace overlooking a beautiful water feature and pond at Seattle’s Kubota Gardens. Surrounded by 20+ family and friends, this sweet couple exchanged beautiful vows. While Ismail is not a man of many words in a public setting, he was very eloquent when he shared that his “love breathes” for his beloved Ashley.Wishing Ismail and Ashley a beautiful marriage adventure!

And here you are, loving each other, and with the enormous intention and challenge to be married, to get married, during Covid 19.

So, here’s the deal on how to do this, short and sweet, for you, in Washington State.

I am writing this UPDATE POST on May 14th, and we’re in the middle of Phase 1.

As a State, we need to get to Phase 2 in order to have a gathering of 5 people or less, which allows for a small and intimate wedding ceremony, with social distancing measures. At least, this is what I am interpreting, with others in our wedding community, from the Governor’s Covid 19 directives.

In a perfect world, Phase 2 will commence on June 1st. Of course, the State may push this date back, depending on our numbers.

If you are planning a small ceremony for June, please consider securing a valid Washington State Marriage License NOW. You are within the 60 day application window, and because Offices are not open to in-person visits, it takes extra time to get your marriage license documents, via on-line and snail mail.

For all of this you will need a valid Washington State Marriage License, 2 witnesses over the age of 18, a location/venue for your ceremony and someone lovely to marry you (hopefully me).

So, how do you get married during Covid 19, if you live in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Snohomish, any part of the Puget Sound or Washington State?

You don’t.

Under the Governor’s order in Washington State, ‘no weddings’ right now.

Yes, the Marriage License offices are issuing marriage licenses and they are recording them. This is what they do.

The best guidance on what is allowed during the State’s shelter-in-place order (from the Governor’s Office and King County Executive’s office) is no weddings.

So, if the two of you desire to get all hitched up, and you live anywhere in Washington State, or want to travel here to do so, what do you do?

You wait until May 4th for updated guidance, when the Governor hopefully lifts the ‘no wedding order.’ My hope is that this ‘no wedding’ restriction will be lifted, allowing a roll-out of small weddings (5 people: Officiant, Couple and 2 Witnesses).

And with this, if you don’t yet have a valid Washington State Marriage License, you can secure one from any County. The offices aren’t open right now, so you have to do everything the old fashioned way.

If you have questions, if I can be helpful. I am here. Once the stay-at-home order is lifted, I am fully available to officiate for you…